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Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) MacBook Pro has received its latest periodic makeover, making the machine faster, leaner and greener, the company announced Tuesday. Apple's high-end line of notebook computers now sports Intel's (Nasdaq: INTC) latest Centrino Santa Rosa processors as well as 4 GB of memory, a high-speed graphics chip from Nvidia and a new mercury-free, LED-backlit display on the 15-inch model.
"With Intel Core 2 Duo performance, more memory and state-of-the-art graphics, this MacBook Pro is a portable powerhouse for creative and professional users," said Phillip Schiller, senior vice president of Apple's worldwide product marketing 
. "Apple's notebooks have always led the industry in innovation with features like built-in 802.11 and the MagSafe Power Adapter, and now the industry's first 15-inch LED-backlit display is another step toward completely eliminating mercury from our displays."
The upgraded, preconfigured MacBook Pros are available in two 15- and 17-inch models through the Apple Store or at the company's retail locations and authorized dealers.
Big Bundle
The three newly revamped systems range in price from US$1,999 to $2,499 for the 15-inch versions, while the 17-inch model runs $2,799. Each MacBook Pro comes equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB of shared L2 cache, an 800 Mhz frontside bus and 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory.
The lower-cost, 15-inch model now sports the 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor; a 120 GB Serial ATA hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor; a slot loaded 8x SuperDrive optical drive and Nvidia's GeForce 8600M GT graphics card with 128 MB GDDR3 memory.
Apple offers the 15- and 17-inch models with 2.4 GHz Intel processors, an incremental bump up from its previous 2.33 GHz processor. A 160 GB Serial ATA hard drive and 256 MB GDDR3 memory with the Nvidia graphics processor round out the company's top-shelf notebook offerings.
For an additional price, purchasers can upgrade the three MacBook Pros from 2 GB to 4 GB of SDRAM and boost the hard drive up to as much as 250 GB.
Both 15-inch models feature Apple's new power-efficient LED-backlit display, the first time the displays have been offered as part of the company's drive to abolish the use of mercury from Apple products. The 17-inch model comes with more than 30 percent more screen real estate than the standard 1680-by-1050 display, according to Apple, with its new 1920-by-1200 high resolution display.
Pretty Much iEverything
All models include a built-in iSight video camera; Apple's MagSafe power adapter, 802.11n wireless networking; built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking; Bluetooth 2.0+ Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), a FireWire 800 and FireWire 400 port, a backlit illuminated keyboard and DVI video output to connect up to a 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display.
On the software side, the notebooks come with Mac OS X version 10.4.9 Tiger, including Safari, Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth, as well as iLife '06. iLife '06 includes Apple's next-generation digital lifestyle applications: iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb.
"These configurations extend the value of the MacBook Pro line and will be especially well received by Mac power users," Tim Bajarin, president of technology research firm Creative Strategies, told MacNewsWorld. "I especially like the 4 gig memory addition."
Upgrade This
Apple has unveiled multiple upgrades for its products over the last several months, Zippy Aima, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan, told MacNewsWorld. In May, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company launched new configurations of its lower-priced MacBook computers. As with the MacBook Pro offerings, Apple remodeled those machines to include faster processors, increased memory and larger hard drives. With this upgrade, the speedier processor, expanded memory and pumped-up graphics interface improve the performance of the product to be more appealing to the customer , she said.
"As far as Apple is concerned, they are known for doing this," Aima explained. "It gives the customer more choice in terms of giving these tech-savvy consumers a better product that matches [what] their needs and requirements are."
As could be inferred from the product's name, these upgraded systems are not intended for the average consumer who only uses their computer to surf the Web or do low-level work, Aima pointed out. Rather, they have been designed for mobile professionals.
"For professionals, it definitely makes a huge difference because of the faster processing, enhanced memory and better graphics performance. It is good news," she concluded.
Screaming for Santa Rosa
The reason for the upgrade is that Intel has made their new Centrino Santa Rosa chips available now and Apple's upper-end customers have been clamoring for more powerful laptops, according to Bajarin.
"This meets the needs of Apple's top-end customers, while the lower-end chips were aimed at a more mainstream Mac user base. There has been [demand from business users for the Santa Rosa chip and better graphics] in the areas of the market where the Macs are used for publishing, graphics design and scientific computing," he explained.
"This represents Apple's core business customers, and these new MacBook Pros are designed especially for them," Bajarin added.
With this announcement and the device maker's much-anticipated and just-announced launch of the iPhone on June 29, Apple is off to a running start this summer. The company will come out with more announcements throughout the summer, expects Aima. Next up for Apple is the Worldwide Developers Conference next week.
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